The field of the invention relates generally to wind turbines and, more specifically, to management systems used with wind turbines, including supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems.
Wind turbine generators use wind energy to generate electricity and are becoming increasingly more important in terms of a renewable source of generating electricity. A wind turbine farm, that includes multiple wind turbines, is often managed by a SCADA system that monitors data received from sensors coupled to the wind turbines. Known SCADA systems calculate various parameters, such as ‘lost production,’ ‘site power,’ ‘site wind speed,’ and ‘site availability,’ based on the sensor data and using algorithms programmed into the SCADA system. When an operator of the SCADA system wants to implement new formulas to calculate additional parameters, or wants to modify the formulas programmed into the SCADA system, generally new or replacement software must be installed while the SCADA system is in a non-operating mode. Moreover, if an operator wanted to apply new or modified formulas to only a specific wind turbine or group of wind turbines, updated software components often must be installed as well. Because the SCADA system is non-functional while being upgraded with new or replacement software that includes the new or modified formulas, the system is unable to perform its SCADA functions and the wind turbine farm may be susceptible to damage because of the lack of monitoring and control.
Accordingly, the ability to add or modify the SCADA system while the system is operating, without the need to update or replace the software could provide a competitive advantage over systems that do not include such capabilities.